A two-year-old child was struck by an SUV in north Nashville last week. According to an arrest affidavit, a 45-year-old driver was asleep in his car. He was startled awake, put the car in drive and accelerated off of the road. The car rolled through the front yard of a home, struck the toddler and smashed into another car parked in a driveway.
Police found an open bottle of beer and a small bag of cocaine in the driver’s SUV. A field sobriety test showed the driver was impaired. The driver was issued could be charged with vehicular assault for causing the DUI accident, pending the results of his blood test.
WHY ARE DUI DRIVERS DANGEROUS?
According to a Governors Highway Safety Association report, the percentage of drivers who tested positive for marijuana or other illegal drugs was 12.4 percent in 2007. Unfortunately, that number rose to 15.1 percent in 2014. The report also indicated that 38 percent of people who died in car accidents in 2013 and were tested had detectable levels of impairing drugs (legal and/or illegal) in their systems.
The effects of each type of drug is different depending on how they react in the brain. Marijuana, for example, can slow reaction times, impair the judgement of distances and time as well as decrease overall coordination. Legal drugs, like benzodiazepines and other types of sedatives can cause drowsiness and dizziness. While illegal drugs, such as amphetamines and cocaine, can cause drivers to be reckless and aggressive.
Poly abuse is when a driver mixes alcohol and drugs while driving. Poly abuse drivers make conscious decisions to get behind the wheel and endanger themselves as well as other drivers. If you have been injured due to a driver who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, consult with a Nashville personal injury attorney immediately to help you hold that driver responsible.
Stanley A. Davis is a personal injury attorney who helps those injured in car accident caused by drunk or drugged drivers in Nashville, Tennessee.
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14